Presentation Panel
Cases and Projects on Virtual Exchange and Intercultural Competences
Date Friday, Nov 25 Time – Room Check
If you're looking to expand horizons and implement international, collaborative projects and virtual exchange, then your journey starts here. These speakers share proven practices that internationalise curricula and build intercultural competences.
Karoliina Niemelä
Senior Lecturer, Master of Arts, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, School of Media and Performing Arts, Finland
Master of Arts Karoliina Niemelä works as a lecturer in the field of visual design at Oamk, Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Her longer-term work experience before joining Oamk was to work in Nokia's mobile phone development department as a graphic designer. She has been a partner in Cooperation Waria since 2004 and has done traditional visual design and art projects such as community, environmental and media projects. Today, her passion is working on interdisciplinary performing arts projects as a media artist.
Links
Claudia Roeschmann
Associate Director for Design Innovation, Texas State University, United States of America
Experienced Designer and Educator with a demonstrated history of working in the international communication design world –
skilled in innovation + entrepreneurship, brand experiences, typography, and design thinking, with a strong focus on cross-cultural
and cross-disciplinary projects.
Richard Powers
Project Coordinator/Instructional Designer, Professional School of Education--Stuttgart University, Germany
Richard Powers is Learning Designer at Stuttgart University under contract for the Professional School of Education's LehrerbildungPLUS project. He develops and teaches blended learning courses for Lehramt students to improve their competences in digitalization and diversity.
He is Professor Emeritus of English and Communications from University of Maryland Global Campus, where he trained over 4,000 faculty and taught online for 18 years. He developed English online programs for onsite, hybrid and fully online courses.
Prof. Powers holds degrees from Wake Forest University and New York University. He holds the Master Online Teacher certification from the University of Illinois. He is a Quality Matters Program and Chair Peer Reviewer.
Prof. Powers leads the eTwinning and Erasmus+ Program for pre-service teachers at the Professional School of Education Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg. An eTwinning Initial Teacher Education Ambassador for Germany, Prof. Powers advises other institutions how to improve intercultural competences through digitalization and mobility projects.
Prof. Powers retired from the U.S. Army Reserves as a lieutenant colonel, serving at European Command Headquarters and Africa Command Headquarters, where he developed Defense Institution Building (DIB) Programs and Training.
Links
Moderator
Channa van der Brug
Programmmanagerin für Internationales / EU, Hochschulforum Digitalisierung Stifterverband, Germany
Project-Based Learning with eTwinning & Erasmus+ for Interculturality, Richard Powers
This presentation will inspire corporate trainers and professors/teachers in universities and schools to include transnational projects in their courses.
Digital, open platforms allow for contact and networking in ways new since the pandemic.
In the 12-week blended learning course "Project-Based Learning with eTwinning & Erasmus+ for Interculturality," for Master’s in Education pre-service teachers in Germany, participants find international partners, and then plan, develop and implement an international collaborative project between two European institutions over the TwinSpace digital platform.
Apart from eTwinning training, theoretical training in project-based learning and interculturality, the authentic assessment in the course provides valuable background for pre-service teachers so they are able to support eTwinning projects when they become teachers.
Overview
- Discover innovative ways to motivate online learners, moving away from typical "discussion-post" types of online courses.
- Design courses using project-based learning templates
- Blend learning design components of theory and authentic assessments through Universal Design for Learning principles.
Bridging Divides: A Virtual Study Abroad, Claudia Roeschmann, Karoliina Niemelä
This presentation is about a case study of a virtual “study abroad” experience between Finnish and American students and gives insights into the strengths of global virtual classrooms.
A year into the pandemic, the faculty from a Finnish and a U.S. higher education institution won a grant to implement the “Finnish and American Art & Design Innovation Exchange” project. The goals was to increase the collaboration between American and Finnish students, promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and expose Finnish students to American art and culture and vice versa.
The kick-off for the exchange program was a two-day virtual workshop, five weeks into the semester, that engaged 42 students in collaborative projects and allowed them to reflect on cultural differences throughout the processes of framing a challenge, working through the problem, and implementing a solution.
The cross-cultural collaboration project focused on global change through art and design innovation. Students were guided on embracing inclusivity, diversity and different perspectives through these processes – while also overcoming barriers such as language and time zone constraints.
The outcomes from this case study can provide insight into the strengths of a virtual “study abroad” experience. It addresses how to recognize and cultivate those strengths within virtual elective settings and classrooms. It will share the students’ impressions and reflections,
This project has highlighted the best aspects of the remote teaching model that we were all forced to jump in, and showcases how students have embraced remote teaching over the past two years because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Additionally, it will explore ways to champion virtual learning characteristics and advocate for the continuation and expansion of global virtual classroom and workshop experiences to enable all students to become stronger world citizens.
Overview
- Insight into the strengths of a virtual study abroad experience.
- How to recognise and cultivate strengths within virtual elective settings and classrooms.
- Best practices of hybrid teaching in international and local contexts.